Lost Melody
by ChihiroAyasato
Summary: Before her death, Mia left one last possession in Xekuto's care. Melody Fey, her only child. Melody has no idea who her biological parents are, and thinks Xekuto is her real father. Someone decides it's finally time to tell her and to kill Xekuto.
1. The Reason I can Smile

In Japan, people who are close like to refer to each other as family. For example, Sister Fey, or Aunt Skye, even when they're not actually related. It shows how much the other person means to the addressor as a friend.

And no, Xekuto is not her biological father.

He took her in after finding her in the hospital that Mia had visited several days before her death, whilst investigating why she had had to go there.

Melody was raised by Xekuto, and doesn't know that he isn't her real father.

Nor does she have a clue who her biological parents are.

* * *

**Chapter I – The Reason I can Smile**

"Papa, Papa! Are you okay?"

Xekuto jerked up to realise that he was sprawled across the couch with the case files still in his hands. He blinked several times before realising that a little girl was shaking his shoulder slightly.

"Papa…did you have another scary dream?"

"Y-Yeah…don't worry about it." He sat up and gently patted the top of her head.  
"Melody…shouldn't you be in bed by now? What time is it?"

"Silly Papa!" She giggled cheerfully. "It's already morning!"

"Wait…what?" He glanced up at the wall clock of their home and read the time.

It was indeed already seven in the morning. Xekuto groaned, managed to stand up and tried his best to clear his buzzing mind.

"Papa, did you fall asleep working again?" Melody puffed her cheeks out in annoyance like a certain someone he knew.  
"You could've caught a cold!"

"Yeah…sorry about that." He picked her up and placed her on his shoulders.  
"How about a piggyback to atone for it, huh?"

She giggled as Xekuto rose up playfully, and pretended it was a rollercoaster ride.  
"What does 'atone' mean, Papa?"

"It means…to forgive for…something along those lines." His head was still a mess and Melody was trying her best to straighten the strands of silver hair obscuring his vision.

"Oh…okay!" Melody smiled happily and leaned against his head.  
"It's Sunday today! Can we go out and play?"

"Of course." He smiled and lowered her down from her position so that she was cradled in his arms.  
"How about we go visit Aunt Skye?"

She nodded with delight and pressed her face close to his chest.  
"I can't wait, I can't wait! Aunt Skye's really, really nice!"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, Papa?"

"Hmm?"

"What case files were you looking at?"

Xekuto was suddenly silent, leaving poor Melody terrified out of her wits that she had said something insulting. After a second or two, he seemed to realise this and smiled at her reassuringly.

"It was…nothing important. Just boring adult stuff, don't worry about it."

"Oh…okay then…" She sighed with relief and wrapped her small arms around his neck.  
"Can we go now, can we?"

"Yes, yes, of course." He chuckled, feeling so much affection for her as he placed her down to put his grey coat on.

Her kitten hair baubles bounced up and down as he wrapped a tan scarf around her neck and helped her put on her much smaller winter coat.

"It's cold outside, Melody. Make sure you dress warmly." He murmured, and made sure the scarf wasn't too tight on her.

Melody glanced up and realised there was a slight glimmer of sadness in her father's eyes. She grew concerned at once.

"Papa…are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine." He shook his head slightly and held onto her small hand, surprised at the fact a five year old could pick up such small hints of emotion.  
"Come on, I'm pretty sure Aunt Skye would be at the office about now."

"On a Sunday?" And with all worry for her father forgotten, she widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, she's really hardworking…just like your…"

He stopped himself just in time.

And felt a lump rise in his throat.

"Just like...?" Melody didn't notice Xekuto's peculiar behaviour this time and tugged on his hand to pull him out the open door.

"…Just like y-your cousin, Pearl." He finished unconvincingly and looked away.

The little girl bounced up and down happily.  
"Cousin Pearl! I really like her too, I like her even more than Aunt Skye!" She suddenly hugged her father's legs.  
"But I love YOU the most, Papa!"

Xekuto bent down and held her close to him.

"Me too, Melody. You're the reason Papa's so happy every day."

She looked up at him, her eyes gleaming.

He chuckled, his heart warming at the sight of her shaking slightly with emotion. Xekuto reached forward for the door handle to close it.

But not before catching a glimpse of her mother's photo paper clipped onto the case file he had been looking at.

The sheet of paper was titled 'State vs. Fey'.

And was dated the day of her passing.


	2. A Strange Reunion

**Nathan Skye is designed by me. He is Lana Skye and Neil Marshall's only son. **

**Description of personality/etc, here: insert link here**

**He is two years older that Melody.**

* * *

**Chapter II – A Strange Reunion**

"Honestly, why do I have to come with you to work on a SUNDAY?" The spiky haired boy groaned and tried his best to sit still as his mother tied his grey bandanna securely around his neck.

Lana Skye straightened up and sighed wearily at her impatient son.  
"Look, I'll be gone for the whole day, and Ema's at university, so there will be no one to take care of you."

"So what? I'll be fine on my own!" He stared indignantly at her and hopped off the top of the couch once she was done.

Lana crossed her arms, a stern expression positioned on her face.  
"Nathan Skye. You are only seven years old, and definitely not old enough to take care of yourself. You almost set the house on fire when you tried cooking two minute noodles the other day!"

"Th-That was a flaw! Just one flaw!" And for the first time ever, Lana saw the flustered side of him.  
"B-Besides, Uncle Seron was talking to me! So, naturally, I was distracted."

Lana stiffened as she opened the door of their apartment and willed herself to calm down.  
"When…did you talk to 'Uncle Seron'?" She managed.

"Huh? Last week…why?" Nathan grew curious at once and waited for her to lock the door.  
"Does it matter to you that much whom I've talked to?"

"Yes! For crying out loud, Nathan, I'm not sure if you realised but I am your mother!" Lana finally lost her temper and grabbed him by the arm.  
"Come on, let's go!"

Nathan didn't seem the least bit fazed by his mother's sudden outburst and grudgingly followed.  
"This is going to be the most boring day ever…"

* * *

"Wow! This place is HUGE!"

"It's just a train, Melody. Besides, there's not that much people on it since it's so early on a Sunday morning."

Her eyes sparkled and she held onto his arm.  
"Papa, how long will it take for us to get there?"

Xekuto checked his wristwatch and noted the time.  
"About fifteen minutes or so…" he murmured, and tried to keep her still as he secured the tan scarf around her neck.

Melody breathed in deeply and flushed slightly.  
"This scarf smells so nice! Who did it belong to, Papa?"

"…Someone…who was very important to me…" he said quietly and managed a small smile.

"I'm someone who's important to you too, aren't I, Papa?" She asked, her hazel eyes shining.

Hazel brown…just like her mother.

"Yeah, you're the most important person in my life." He whispered with sincerity and picked her up.  
"And Papa promises to protect you from any danger out there, and that he would never leave you, ever."

Because…that was the one task that I failed with _her_.

Melody sighed happily and hugged him around the neck, staying there and watching the rest of the passengers on his shoulder.

There was only one person that grabbed her attention, since she looked so out of place on the train. She had short, black hair. And was wearing clothing she'd only seen on television when people went scuba diving. It was a tight one-piece suit, except without all the scuba diving necessities. Her ice-cold eyes were fixed on Melody, and there was a symbol emblazoned on her black clothing.

It was…a tiger?

Melody blinked and tugged at Xekuto's hair.  
"Papa, who's that?"

He turned and froze, almost dropping Melody.

A sneer was tugging at the woman's mouth as she straightened up and walked over to them.

"So it is you." She said quietly, so that only he could hear.

Melody clung onto him, her little heart hammering away on her chest.  
Even with her childlike instincts, she could tell that this was someone whom her beloved papa did not like.

Xekuto couldn't speak, and unconsciously lowered Melody to the floor, and placed her behind his legs protectively.

"…She's a nice girl…is she yours?"

Melody looked up nervously at Xekuto, and was shocked when he didn't answer immediately.

"Ah, I see. So she's…that _woman's child._"

"Shut up." He said through gritted teeth, his eyes shining a piercing jade, causing Melody to wince.

This was the first time she saw her father so agitated, and she held onto him, feeling nauseous.

Just who was this woman?

And why is she being so mean to Papa?

The stranger sighed, almost with an air of disappointment and neared him suddenly.

Melody flinched.

"You do know that you're the last of the Zorens? Everyone else is dead. And I mean, **everyone**."

"I'm well aware of that fact."

"Oh, really? Is that why you insist on being alive?" She tilted his chin down to look at her in the eyes.

Ice blue against jade green.

"And how you carry on ruining innocent lives just by _existing_?"

Melody couldn't stand it anymore.

She wasn't sure what made her do it.

Probably because her papa was being hurt by this…stranger!

And that he was the most scared she had ever seen in her short life.

"P-Please stop it!" She cried and ran out from behind his legs, and much to Xekuto's horror, pushed the woman in the knees and attempted to create distance between them.  
"Y-You're hurting Papa!"

"…Papa?" The lady scoffed.  
"How…sickening."

She lowered herself to Melody's level and fingered her hair.

Xekuto was about to charge forward when he was suddenly grabbed by someone. He glanced back to see several black suited men restraining him from the arm.

And that no one else was on board.

"Y-You…!" He shouted, desperately trying to break free.  
"If you do a thing to hurt her…!"

"…then you would have failed your task…again, is that right?"

The Midnight Tigress straightened up and smiled properly at him for the first time.

Xekuto seemed to have lost his ability to speak, and sagged onto the floor, his arms raised above him at an awkward angle as the rest of the assassin's forces were still holding onto him.

Melody realised what was happening and tried running towards him, only to be suddenly raised from the ground as the woman behind her grabbed her.

Xekuto's eyes widened and he felt as his heart would stop.

"Papa…! Papa!" Melody desperately tried to twist free but was easily held down by Tigress.

"I think I would like a small souvenir to take home with me after this most tedious trip…" She sighed softly.  
"She is such a sweet little thing, isn't she? So…innocent."

"Give her back…Please!" Xekuto stopped moving altogether and looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so helpless.

"Please…give her back…I'll…give you anything you want…just let her go…please…" He gasped, dewdrops falling onto the floor.

"Oh? I'll gladly take you up on that offer." Tigress handed one of her subordinates a sobbing Melody and neared him.

She suddenly grabbed him by the throat and forced him upwards.

"There's only one thing I desire…and that is your life. If you want your precious little girl back, you will come to me alone. I will give her back to you…and then you die in front of her eyes."

Melody felt as if she would break into pieces with grief.  
"Papa, no! Don't die, Papa!"

Xekuto stared at her tiny form, shivering with emotion.  
"…Fine." He whispered and looked up, his pupils almost seemed like slits as he continued with a stronger voice.  
"But if you lay a single finger on her…the deal changes; you give her back to me and we both leave, still breathing and not harmed in any way."

"Heh…you amuse me." Tigress let go of him, leaving small red marks where she had dug her nails into his skin and drew back.  
"That sounds about right to me. I'll be waiting for you…at where we first met."

Xekuto finally felt his arms drop by his side as the men let go of him. But by the time he looked up, there was no one left on the still running train.

All that was left was the tan scarf his little girl had been wearing, lying curled up where she was standing just a few minutes ago.

"No…No…" He felt as if his heart would wither up and fell to the floor once more, sobs racking through his seemingly broken body.

"Melody…M-Melody…"


	3. Her Name was Mia

**In case you haven't read the back story yet;**

**Midnight Tigress is the head of a notorious assassin's guild who annihilated Xekuto's entire village home back when he was around 15.**

**She has been tracking him down ever since the day she realised a member of the Zoren family was still alive.**

**Her motives to this point are unclear.**

**Since it was not her intention to kill the Zorens.**

**But had received an order from a higher up to do so.**

* * *

**Chapter III – Her Name was Mia**

"Zoren? What's wrong, you seem to be out of breath." Lana took in Xekuto's panting form as he made his way into her office at a fast pace.

"Yo…" Nathan tried to get his attention and looked at him with concern.

Uncle Zoren was one of the only people that the boy had respect for.

"M-Melody…she's been kidnapped." He gasped, holding onto his chest with a shaking hand.

Lana dropped the files she was holding and stared at him with shock, noticing only then the claw like finger marks around his throat area.

"Wh-what…?" She croaked, and upon realising that he was literally breaking down in front of her, neared him and placing her hands on his shivering shoulders.

Nathan cocked his head onto his side and walked over to him as well.  
"Who's Melody? Your pet?"

"Nathan!" Lana shot her son a warning with her piercing eyes that she only showed to her opponents during court which silenced him immediately.

"She's…my daughter." Xekuto managed weakly and looked at Nathan with watery eyes.

The seven year old flinched slightly as his image of the 'never fazed Xekuto' crumbled before him, quiet literally.  
"I'm…sorry." He mumbled and flushed a dull shade of red.

"Do you have any idea where they went?" Lana asked comfortingly as Xekuto sank to the floor and onto his knees.

"She said that she would be waiting with her for an exchange at...near Kurain Village."

Lana's eyes lit up slightly at the mentioning of a familiar area.

"That's where Mia lived, right? I can take you there! There shouldn't be anything to worry about except for Melody's safety!"

"I…" Xekuto suddenly stopped and closed his mouth.

"You…?" Lana, with keys already in her hand, was getting ready to leave.

Nathan, however, noticed that there was something wrong.

"Nothing." Xekuto said quietly and got up immediately.  
"We'll go right now if that's alright with you."

"Of course! Come on!" Lana opened the door for him, and barked at Nathan to hurry up.

He ran after the two of them, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah, right, 'nothing'." He got into the car beside Xekuto and muttered to him.

"You were never good at lying."

* * *

"Oh don't struggle so much, it's not like I'm going to break the promise I made with your beloved 'papa'." Tigress pouted in a sickly sweet voice and tied up Melody more securely.

The little girl stared at her, barely able to breathe as she took in the scene around her.

Black suited men and women were almost everywhere, some patrolling, some typing up important documents on their portable computers, and some just discussing the next plan of action.

"What…what do you want from me?" Melody squeaked, feeling extremely nauseous.

"I don't want anything from you." Tigress replied calmly and neared her slightly.  
"In fact, it's us who should be saying that. We're going to tell you some bedtime stories, sweetie."

Melody shrank back, doubting very much that these were the same stories told to children to calm them down.

"I mean, it's obvious that you've been wondering for a long time about this yourself, isn't it?"

"What…are you talking about?"

Tigress smiled at her and tilted Melody's chin upwards.

"Do you know who your real 'Mummy' was?"

* * *

"Well, judging by the geography of the area, it will take us at most an hour to get to the place." Lana said hurriedly and turned another corner along the road.  
"What did that woman say she wanted?"

"…Information." Xekuto mumbled and pretended to be distracted by the passing scenery whipping past them outside the car window.

Nathan didn't say anything and continued to gaze with sharp eyes at him.

Unfortunately, Lana noticed.  
"Nathan, it's not nice to stare intently at people, why don't you read a book or something?"

He sighed and folded his arms behind his head, leaning into them.  
"You're one to talk, considering you're a prosecuting attorney." He cockily replied, and grinned slightly when he saw his mother stiffen slightly in the driver's seat.

"It's really no problem. I guess it's just because he hasn't seen me in ages." Xekuto said calmly, saving Lana the need of straining her neck back to lecture her son.

He turned his attention to the laid back boy.  
"So, Nathan…I heard you started school…how is it so far?"

"Not bad…" His demeanour brightened considerably upon being addressed by Xekuto, causing Lana to roll her eyes and mutter 'Why can't he always be that sensible when he's NOT with Zoren?'  
"My classmates aren't the brightest bunch though. One of them still didn't know the alphabet yet."

"Well, you can't expect too much from a year two class, Nathan." Xekuto chuckled, reminded instantly by the boy's arrogance of a coffee addict he knew.  
"Besides, most of them are probably international students, so it's very hard for them to fit in."

"Yeah, I guess…So what have you been up to, Uncle Zoren?" Nathan straightened up and smiled for the first time that day.  
"And who exactly is this 'Melody'? How come I've never heard of her?"

There was a slight pause, and Nathan was thankful that his mother didn't choose to turn from her seat to glare at him as Xekuto contemplated his answer.

"Well, we only just finished finalising the adoption papers, and I didn't want to introduce her to you before it was official…since there had been a small chance of her not being able to live with me."

"Oh? So…she's not yours then?"

"Nathan!" Lana couldn't keep calm anymore and snapped at her son angrily.  
"How dare you talk about someone's daughter like they're some kind of pet! Have some shame!"

"Sorry…" He mumbled and looked apologetically at Xekuto as they slowed to a stop at the red light.

"No worries…" Xekuto finally managed a small smile at the young boy and affectionately ruffled his black hair.  
"You're right, she's not my biological daughter…her mother is Mia Fey."

Lana suddenly became very interested in the car wheel and turned away from them. Xekuto was aware he had hit a sensitive topic.

"…Mia Fey? Who's that?" Unaware of this, Nathan's curiosity perked up once more.

"She…was a friend…a very close friend."

"Was?"

"…"

"Nathan, that's enough." Lana finally managed to speak once more as the traffic light flashed bright green and the car started up once more.

"Huh? Why? I was just asking…"

"I said that's enough! Don't you know how rude it is to poke your nose into other people's personal life? I can't believe you still don't understand after all those times I told you to…"

"Hang on, what's with all this tongue lashing?" Nathan grew very annoyed and reached a hand to undo his seatbelt.  
"You're the one who said it's good to know things and now you're stopping me! Is it because you're jealous of this 'Mia Fey'?"

"Nathan…er, I don't think you should…" Xekuto started, noticing Lana's brow furrowing deeply.

"..Is it because you're jealous of her?"

The car screeched to a halt, and luckily no one else was on the road at that moment, because Lana had suddenly turned around fully and grabbed her son by the loose collar of his clothes.

"Skye! D-Don't…!" Xekuto's hands were on hers at once, and managed to convince her to lower the boy back to his seat, where he sat, shocked out of his wits at what had just happened.

"Wh-what was that for?" he managed. "Are you trying to assault your own son or something? What…"

"BE QUIET!"

Lana's unexpected outburst silenced him completely and he shivered slightly.

Xekuto felt his stomach twist into a knot upon realising there were angry tears in Lana's eyes that only he could see from his seating angle.

"Y-You…don't you dare make any comments on people that you don't know about…" She managed and gripped the edge of her seat.  
"Mia…was someone who was with us before your time, Nathan. She was my best friend…and was taken away from us…all too soon."

"Taken away?" Nathan croaked, his eyes wide.  
"What happened? She was kidnapped?"

"**Honestly, children nowadays are so slow."**

The three of them all flinched at the unfamiliar voice. There was a sudden impact at the top of the car, denting it inwards slightly and the figure of a pig tailed girl looked at them through the front window upside down.

"She's dead, you dumb wit." She sneered and smashed the window with ease, grabbing Lana by the muffler and placing her in a choke hold.  
**"Mia Fey's dead."**

Before either of the two could react, another set of hands wrapped themselves around Nathan and hurled him out of his seat.

Xekuto was pulled by his tie out the car door and thrown onto the floor, where a black boot pinned him to the ground by his chest.

"I thought the mistress told you to come alone." The girl hissed and pushed him deeper into the gravel with the heel of her shoe, and causing him to gasp in pain.

There was a black tiger emblazoned on her arm.

* * *

"Wh-what are you talking about? I…don't have a Mama!" Melody stared at the woman with nothing short of pure shock.

"Ah, has 'Papa' always kept it secret from you? He really is a lowlife..."

"Stop it! Stop talking about Papa like that!" Melody felt tears leak out of her eyes.  
"Papa did everything within his power to adopt me and look after me! He's gone through a lot of pain and suffering just to be with me! You can't say stuff like that!"

"Wow, you sure know how to use big words, kid. At such a young age too…I guess that's what happens when you put two lawyers' genes together…"

The rest of the guild began laughing drawlingly, and Melody shivered fitfully, not having a clue what was being said.

"P-Please…tell me what you mean." She stopped resisting altogether and collapsed onto the cold ground with tears dripping down her face.  
"My mama…who was she?"

"Oh? You want to listen to someone who's about to kill your papa?"

Melody flinched but managed to nod slowly, her grief showing plainly on her features.  
She knew this was going to be painful, in more ways than one. But there had to be some way of saving Xekuto, and acquiring information wouldn't lessen the chances of him living…would it?

"Well, let's start with something even you would understand." Tigress placed two claw like hands on the little girl's shoulders and pushed her into the wall.

**"Xekuto Zoren is not your real father."**


	4. You're Lying!

**Chapter IV – You're Lying!**

"Wh-what...?" Melody could do nothing but stare at Tigress, her eyes stretched wide.

"Papa's…no…what?"

"Huh, so you're not as smart as I thought you'd be." Tigress flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes with an air of annoyance.  
"I'm disappointed…Mia Fey was very well known as a defense attorney, after all."

"Mia…? Who's…?" Melody managed to clear her head of the horrible information she had just received and grew alert once more.

"Mia Fey…your biological mother." Tigress stretched slightly, as if finally rid of some heavy burden.

"B-Biological?" She blinked at the unfamiliar word and cocked her head slightly to one side.

"It means that she's your real mother, you dim witted child."

Melody flinched and looked toward the new voice.

She almost fainted upon seeing Xekuto being led in with his hands tied behind his back and a trickle of blood trailing down his lip.

"P-Papa! PAPA!" The little girl cried out desperately, horrified at seeing her father so helpless like this.

He looked up weakly, and spotted her, though had no energy left to struggle against his restraint.

"P-Please…" He managed to croak and stare into Tigress' sneering eyes.

"D-Don't tell her…not yet…she doesn't deserve to know…"

"'Deserve'? Stop treating her like she's your own child, Zoren." She walked over to him and ordered the assassins to release him, and he collapsed onto the cold gravel, wincing at the pain in this chest.

She grabbed him once more by the throat and forced him to face her, hearing Melody sob fitfully in the distance.

"I've come like you asked…now, y-you let her go…"

"Well, I think your memory needs some clearing up…" Tigress flung him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach.

"STOP IT! STOP HURTING PAPA!" Melody was beyond tears and struggled once more with the rope that was holding her back as Tigress continued to physically abuse him.

She choked in horror as Xekuto coughed up a pool of blood and lay there, shaking on the floor.

"Stop it…please…stop it…" She whimpered, rocking back and forth in her bonds.

Tigress ignored her.  
"I promised you only one thing, that she would be physically unharmed. I never said anything about not _mentally abusing _her."

Xekuto got to his feet at once with unexpected agility and lunged at her.

Then a gunshot was fired.

Melody couldn't even cry out this time.

The situation was too horrible to witness, let alone bear.

Xekuto froze, and fell down to one knee.

The left side of his shoulder was suddenly drenched in blood, around the bullet hole that had gone clean through.

His pupils had almost thinned to slits in his agony as he once more collapsed to the ground, gasping wretchedly.

It was so painful that he couldn't even scream.

"Don't worry, that won't kill you. Not instantly, at least." Tigress hissed and placed a foot under his chin to tilt his head upwards to look at her.  
"It'll be enough to keep you put so that I can continue my 'bedtime story' to your little girl."

Xekuto could only croak feebly in response as a small pool of blood was gathering at where he lay.

She walked back to Melody, and leaned towards her shivering frame.

"Now…where were we?"

* * *

"Damn it! Why can't I break free?"

Lana and Nathan were both handcuffed in a cell within the assassin's guild and were trying desperately to escape their bonds.

"That's probably because these are handcuffs…and made of solid steel…" Lana groaned and gazed around the dark enclosed area for something…anything that could be of use to them.

"What about Uncle Zoren? What's going to happen to him?" Nathan suddenly stopped struggling and stared up at his mother with intense worry.

"Are they going to hurt him?"

Lana was silent and exhaled with an ache in her chest.

"I don't know…" She murmured helplessly.

"I really don't know."

Nathan suddenly heard the gunshot and flinched. With all her experience as a detective, Lana managed to stop herself from jumping up and hitting the low ceiling.

"PAPA, PAPA!"

"That…is that Melody?" Lana gasped with absolute horror and tugged once more at the handcuffs.

"Damn this!" She swore loudly, her heart ready to burst.  
"If that inhumane beast hurts her in any way…"

* * *

"…I'll never f-forgive you…" Xekuto rasped and managed to shakily sit up with a bloody hand to grasp his broken shoulder.

"Oh, I think I can live with that. Now…where were we?" She sweetly ran a finger down the frame of Melody's shivering face.

"Ah, that's right… We were talking about Mia Fey, weren't we?"

"D-Don't…!" Xekuto sprang up once more, only to fall to the ground in agony from his injuries.

Melody's eyes were dry from crying and could only whimper softly and squeeze them shut to her struggling father's blurred image.

Tigress seemed to enjoy every minute of her prisoners' pain.

"Mia Fey was a defense attorney who worked alongside your precious 'papa', little girl. She's your mother…but sadly, I can't introduce her to you in person."

"Wh-Why…?" Melody blurted out without thinking.

Frankly, she couldn't think straight anymore.

"Hrrm, how do I put this?" Tigress placed a finger to her cheek in mocking contemplation.

She suddenly smirked.

"Oh, that's right. I remember now…

**She's dead."**


	5. We're Back

**Chapter V – We're Back**

"We need to go see Mr. Godot."

"Wh-what?" Phoenix looked up from his newspaper and stared at his assistant.

Her face was unnaturally solemn.

"We need to go see Mr. Armando." She repeated, changing to his true name to indicate how serious she was.

The attorney slowly got up and walked to her, his brow furrowed.

"What is it, Maya?" He suddenly realised what this must mean.

"Did Mia tell you something just now."

Pearl perked up at once after hearing the mentioning of her elder cousin's name.

"Mystic M-Mia?" Her eyes lit up.

"It must have been very important! Right, Mystic Maya?"

"…Yes."

Maya looked up to into Phoenix's bright blue eyes.

Her eyes showed hurt and confusion, which sharply contrasted her calm voice.

"…Xekuto-niisan is dying."

* * *

**_Niisan is a Japanese honorific to symbolise an older brother. It is not necessarily used for biological siblings, but to express affection from the addressor to the addressed._**


	6. That Single Ray of Sunlight

**Whoot, I managed to update in midst of exam preparation. XD  
**

**And finally, we have some more Miego fluff from me. 0 w 0  
**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter VI – That Single Ray of Sunlight**

"Mr. Armando, it's time to take your medication."

He grumbled upon hearing the usual reminder he was given every day by the same nurse and turned his head slightly to show that he had heard her.

"…I would appreciate it if you helped me up." He managed to not sound too rude, as it wasn't the nurse's fault that he was slowly losing the ability to move his limbs.

She immediately leaned forward to support him under the arms and gently positioned him so that he was leaning into his upright pillow.

"Thanks…" Diego felt the coolness of the metal visor being pressed into his worn hands and clumsily placed it over his eyes.

It certainly did help with his vision to have this heavy metalwork on.

However he could only see through the thin, red bars of it and this proved to be extremely inconvenient as the only reason he knew his tablets were now in the palm of his hand was the fact that he could physically feel them.

"Would you prefer it if I gave you the liquid dose instead?" She asked hesitantly, noticing that the patient was struggling to think of a way past this hurdle.

"Y-Yeah… that would be appreciated." He felt for the ever-present tray next to his bed and dejectedly tipped the tablets onto it.

Diego Armando felt nothing short of useless as he listened to the retreating footsteps of the nurse.

"… I wonder if I'll ever see daylight outside this wretched place again…? Heh… seems not." He mumbled to himself and leaned back into the soft pillow.

Though the doctors hadn't told him, he knew very well that his organs were slowly failing him.

It seemed as if the poison had never fully left his system after he drank it along with his coffee.

He gritted his teeth, as a fuzzy image of the woman he despised so much swam in front of his mind.

"Damn witch…" He growled.

"If only she didn't exist…"

"Are you talking about me, Diego? I would be severely worried about your sanity if you were."

Diego almost fainted from shock as the familiar and warm voice reached his ears.

He doubled over slightly, but managed to stay upright and push himself upwards to look into her eyes.

"…M-Mia…?"

She reached forward, pushing a cylindrical shaped glass into his shivering hands and gently wrapping the other arm around his shaking body.

It really was her.

Diego wasn't sure how he would keep the moisture building up in his weary eyes from spilling forth, but he didn't really care at the moment.

His kitten was here.

Mia...was here.

"…You don't look so well, Diego… Are you giving up already?" She finally asked, almost teasingly.

The way she always used to do when they still worked together under the same office.

"Y-You…oh…" He felt the coolness of a hair bead softly brushing against his cheek.  
"Maya's channeling you…right?"

"What, did you think I had come back?"

"…Yes. Yes, I did." His voice was suddenly barely a whisper and he turned away slightly.

"…I'm sorry."  
She couldn't think of anything else to say.

But Diego Armando managed a smile and buried his face into the soft cloth of Maya's clothes.  
"That's alright. It's in no way your fault. It doesn't change the fact that you're still my kitten… I've missed you so much…"

"…We saw each other a few days earlier…just after that trial, Diego. Honestly, I think your patience has been worn thin by Phoenix."

"Ha…! You could say that." He realised then that his medication was in his free hand, and that Mia had taken the glass from the nurse who was with him just moments earlier.

"Amazing how she remembered me, despite the fact that we hadn't seen each other for years…"

Diego was just about to ask how the two women knew each other, when he suddenly felt Mia's hold on him tighten stiffly.

"…There's a reason you came to see me, isn't there, Kitten?" Even after being in a coma for seven years, his ability to sense Mia's emotions hadn't rusted at all.

"…That's right." She replied, straightening up slightly and bringing his hand to touch her cheek.

He shuddered slightly, realising there were tears present in her eyes.  
"Mia. What is it?"

"…I…never told you…did I?"

"…Told me what?" Diego began to grow impatient and frowned for the first time since seeing her again.

It wasn't like Mia to be so hesitant.

He suddenly placed the glass of medication on the tray along with the discarded tablets and snatched off his visor so that she could see his eyes and know what he was thinking, causing Mia to jump back slightly.

They were no longer the charismatic and warm dark brown she once knew and had spent countless times gazing into.

They were now dull, faded and almost grey.

It was obvious he couldn't see her, despite his sharp gaze.

A clear cut looked like it had been engraved into his face, one that crossed over the bridge of his nose and under his eyes.

The only physical sign of the courageous act of saving Maya Fey's life.

"Tell me, Mia. What is it? …I'm tired of waiting." Noticing that she had clammed up completely, he looked away, a slight growl rising in his throat, and feeling annoyance at himself for scaring the woman he loved so much.

_I have been waiting for Death to hurry up and cut me down so that I can be with you…_

"…Diego. There's something that I was going to tell you straight after you woke up…but… I guess I didn't make it in time." She whispered, her head gazing downwards as well.

His heart ached slightly at her poignant choice of words and he clasped her hand in his.

He gazed at her expectantly.

However, even with all the experience he had acquired as both a defense and prosecuting attorney, Diego Armando was not prepared for what his lover said next.

"…You have a daughter, our only child." Mia Fey stared into his stunned eyes, her voice breaking slightly as she continued.  
"And she, along with Xekuto, are in danger of losing their lives."


End file.
